Five Owls named to Academic All-District Team

GAMBIER, Ohio — On Tuesday, College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced that five members of the Kenyon College baseball team were named to the 2023 Academic All-District Team, as selected by CSC members. The Owls’ honorees include senior Kyle Dwyer, juniors Stephen Carr, Malcolm Gaynor, and Drew Robinson, and sophomore Frank Lynch.

To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete had to be a key contributor who participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games or pitched at least 10 innings. The student-athlete had to be on the team’s active roster for at least two years and, most importantly, had to own at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average. Each team was allotted five nominations.

Dwyer, an outfielder and an economics major, started 30 of the team’s 35 games and played in 32 outings. The senior, one of three on the team, hit .352 with 37 hits in 105 at-bats, the fourth-best average amongst qualified hitters. He also racked up 20 RBIs, scored 19 runs, walked 10 times, and stole a base. The Newton, Massachusetts, native’s three sacrifice hits tied for the team lead, his two triples tied for third-most, and his 10 doubles ranked fourth. Dwyer helped Kenyon go 58-42 over his four-year career, a .580 winning percentage.

Carr, a catcher who also majors in economics, started all 32 games he played. The junior hit .283 with 32 hits in 113 at-bats, compiling 22 runs, 22 RBIs, 13 walks, eight doubles, two stolen bases, and a home run. Carr ranked top five on the team in doubles, RBIs, and walks, and he tied Dwyer for the team lead with three sacrifice hits. The Needham, Massachusetts, native started both ends of the vast majority of Kenyon’s doubleheaders behind the dish. The catcher also caught nine runners stealing, ranking third in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

Gaynor, an infielder majoring in mathematics and Spanish, started and played in 34 games, leading the team in both starts and appearances. The junior also paced the Owls in runs (41), home runs (6), RBIs (39), sacrifice flies (6), and hit-by-pitches (13). Gaynor was one of the team’s most consistent producers, ranking second in at-bats (130), doubles (12), slugging percentage (.585), and stolen bases (4), while ranking third in batting average (.354), OPS (1.033), hits (46), and walks (14). Amongst NCAC leaders, the Kalamazoo, Michigan, native ranked in the top 10 in slugging percentage, runs scored, home runs, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifice flies.

Robinson, another economics major who plays in the outfield, started all 33 games he played in. The junior had 42 hits in 124 at-bats, a .339 average, and tallied 37 runs, 25 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, eight doubles, four triples, and two homers. Robinson tied for fourth in the NCAC in triples and ranked fifth in stolen bases, leading Kenyon in both categories. The Winnetka, Illinois, native was also a stalwart in center field with four outfield assists and a perfect fielding percentage in 93 chances. He was the only qualified player in the NCAC with a flawless 1.000 fielding mark.

Lynch, a pitcher majoring in psychology, appeared in eight games with six starts. The sophomore won a team-best five games on the mound, going 5-1 to improve to 9-2 in his collegiate career. Lynch also led Kenyon’s starters in wins (5), ERA (3.26), and strikeouts per nine innings pitched with a whopping 12.6. Overall, he pitched 30.1 innings and struck out 42 batters, allowing 12 runs (11 earned), 37 hits, and 13 walks. The Chicago, Illinois, native tied for 12th in the NCAC in strikeouts despite not cracking the top 24-plus in innings pitched.

The Owls’ quintet helped the team post a 21-14 overall record and go 8-8 in NCAC play to finish tied for fourth in the conference standings. All five players were part of Kenyon’s back-to-back 20-plus win seasons, including the program’s fourth-highest win total (23) last year.

Inclusion on the Academic All-District Team means all five Owls advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second-, and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced Wednesday, June 7.